Golf glove



Jan. 26, 1943. E. c. LINDFIELT GOLF GLOVE Filed March 17, 1942 I INVENTOR. i da/ardfllzzdjlf BY 2'2 9 I Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF GLOVE Edward 0. Lindfelt, Des Moines, Iowa Application March 17, 1942, Serial No. 435,025

3 Claims. (01. 2--159) My invention relates to a glove particularly adapted for use in playing the game of golf.

Many golfers would prefer to wear a glove or hand covering of some kind while playing, in order to avoid trouble with blisters or callouses, but the common experience is that golf gloves of types offered on the market do not fit smoothly, or restrict free movement of the fingers and hand. Either fault makes it harder for the player to grip and control the club accurately in playing the game.

A popular type of golf glove is one which has open-ended finger stalls, shorter than full finger length. A properly designed glove of this type leaves the balls of the fingers exposed, thus giving the sensitiveness of touch and precision of control which the golfer so much desires. Ordinary gloves with open finger stalls have had the serious disadvantage, however, that after they are used for a time the material around the open ends will roll up or curl, particularly on the palm side of the fingers. When this occurs the finger stalls do not fit nicely, and the rolled-up material forms a bunch between the players fingers and the club handle, constituting a serious an- .noyance and hampering good play.

To overcome these disadvantages I have invented a golf glove in which I use an elastic material in the fourchettes-the side portions of the finger stalls. The elastic material may be that known in the trade as lastex, made with strands of rubber or rubber-like substance, so that it has a definite and positive tendency to return to its original shape after it has been stretched. Any loose-woven or knitted material will stretch to a certain extent when placed under tension, and such materials have been used in gloves, but they have very little comeback, no positive tendency to return to shape such as is characteristic of rubber elastic materials. In my glove, therefore, I use the truly elastic material, and as a result I have succeeded in eliminating to a sub-- stantial extent any tendency to roll or bunch at the edges,

With the objects above indicated, and with other objects which will be evident, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my golf glove, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a rear view of a golf glove exemplifying my invention, portions being broken away to disclose the interior construction,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of one of the finger stalls, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In the drawing, the reference numeral [0 is used to designate the palm portion of the glove, which may be made of any suitable material, preferably leather, such as kid skin or pig skin. The palm portion I0 should be made seamless, and if desired it may be integral with the back portion [2 so that only one seam is necessary, along the edge M. The palm portion is provided with an opening l6 for the thumb, and most of the back of the glove is cut away, as at l8, to allow full freedom of hand movement.

At the wrist, a reinforcing strip 22] extends around the glove, and a portion 22 reaches across the opening l8, being provided with an adjustable buckle or snap fastener 24. The portion 22 24 may contain an elastic member which tends to keep it normally contracted as at 26, and which makes for a smooth but freely yielding fit about the wearers wrist.

The front portion I0 and the back portion l2 are formed with finger stalls 28 and 31., respectively. The parts 28 and, 30 are joined by side walls or fourchettes 32, as shown particularly in Figure 2. At the outer ends of the finger stalls the fourchettes are turned back inside, as at 34,

leaving a smooth, non-raveling edge, and giving additional elastic effect along the edge.

The fourchettes are made from lastex or some similar elastic material having an effective comeback to a definite shape. Most materials of the type referred to are woven with rubber strands running in one direction, and with textile strands in the transverse direction. The manufacture is such that when the transverse strands are all packed together, i. e., when the material is contracted to its limit, the rubber strands are still under some tension. Thus when the material is free from external forces, it will always return to a definite limiting shape. In this respect it difiers sharply from ordinary knitted textile materials, for example, which will give or stretch more or less when pulled, but I which have no definite limiting shape to which they return when free to do so.

In the manufacture of my glove, the fourchettes are cut in such a way that the rubber strands, and hence the principal stretch" in the elastic material, will be transverse to the longitudinal dimension of the finger stalls.

For a glove which will fit neatly at all times, whether the hand is flat or in gripping position, it is important to use elastic material of the kind I have described. It has the further advantage that curling, rolling or bunching at the open ends of the finger stalls is substantially eliminated, and the gloves have a much longer life of neat appearance, comfortable fit and useful service.

Some changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my golf glove without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms or uses of equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A glove having front and back panels of relatively non-stretchable material, finger stall portions on said panels, and fourchettes of rubberized elastic material connecting said finger stall portions and forming therewith open-end finger stalls, said rubberized elastic material being stretchable transversely of the fourchettes,

and being doubled back inside said finger stalls adjacent the open ends thereof to present a smooth, non-raveling edge.

2. A golf glove having a leather palm and back, with finger stall portions extending therefrom, and transversely stretchable fourchettes of lastex material forming with said finger stall portions open-end finger stalls.

3. A golf glove having front and back portions of relatively non-stretchable material, finger stall extensions integral therewith, and fourchettes of rubberized elastic material connecting said extensions on said front and back portions and forming therewith open-end finger stalls, said fourchettes being turned back inside adjacent the outer ends of the finger stalls, to give a non-raveling edge and a double thickness of elastic material,

EDWARD C. LINDFELT. 

